Seventeen men and one woman, ranging in age from 33 to 55, have died by suicide in Sarnia within the last six months.

In that same time, 16 Sarnia youth died by suicide.

The enduring problem of suicide is a matter that transcends gender, age or background, says Theresa Ingles, CEO of the Deker Bauer Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

But due to the generosity of volunteers, donors, as well as philanthropic organizations and businesses, the community seems to be confronting the phenomenon head-on while providing a measure of hope for those struggling with suicide, and for their friends and families, she told members of the Golden K Kiwanis Club on Feb. 27.

Ingles, a personal support worker by training, became an advocate for suicide prevention after she lost her 17-year-old son Deker to suicide in August 2014.

Deker's death was unexpected and devastating for Ingles. She said she didn't see any warning signs that her son was contemplating any form of self-harm.

Determined to tackle the epidemic of youth suicide in the community, Ingles and her daughter-in-law began the process a month later that eventually led to the establishment of the Deker Bauer Foundation.

“We needed to make a change in the community, especially for youth,” Ingles told Kiwanis members. “So my daughter-in-law and I decided to start a foundation. But we honestly had no idea what to do.”

After consulting with friends and family members, the pair drew up a mission statement and enlisted a board of directors. Following that Ingles, along with a wave of volunteers in the community touched by Deker's story, worked to raise money, raise awareness about suicide and achieve registered charity status. Deker's Place – the foundation's London Road resource centre that provides services for clients over weekends when most mental health agencies are closed – was opened last October.

Since then, 60 clients ranging in age from nine to 74 have accessed services. Staffed almost entirely by volunteers, the centre essentially fills in the gaps while pointing clients in the right direction, Ingles said.

“We don't do counselling and we're not trying to duplicate services that already exist,” she said. “All we're trying to do is provide resources, follow-up with our clients – and I can't emphasize enough that follow-up is such a huge thing. Clients can come in, sit down, talk or not talk, and we can even have staff walk them to the hospital and wait with them in emergency if that's what they want.”

While the number of suicides in Sarnia over the past six months appears to be extraordinarily high, Ingles said those statistics are drawn from people who have gotten in touch with the Foundation. The actual number is likely higher.

One of the major revelations to Ingles during the past three-and-a-half years of her advocacy has been the number of middle-aged men who seem to be affected by suicide.

“I think for so many years you couldn't talk about suicide,” she said. “So for generation after generation it was instilled, particularly with men, that you're not allowed to show emotion or talk about suicide or let anything bother you.”

“But it does and it can,” she continued. “Men are human too, we all take on these emotions and you have to vent, you have to get it out. And that's why we want to break this stigma, so that we can help them and get young men starting younger talking about mental health.”

After having launched one of Canada's only walk-in suicide prevention resource centres, Ingles said she is on a mission to provide the same services to municipalities across Canada. Her goal, she said, is to open resource centres in five provinces over the next decade, as well as many more in cities and towns across Ontario.

Two municipalities have already approached her about opening centres in their regions, she said.

“I never imagined I would be in this position,” she said. “I had hoped, because the centre was my vision, but to see it across Canada, I would never have imagined it. But once I became CEO, I realized we need these centres in every community to help bring those suicide rates down.”

For more information about the Deker Bauer Foundation, visit www.dekerbauerfoundation.com or call 519-328-9790.

If you are having thoughts of suicide, phone Emergency Services at 911, the Lambton Mental Health Service distress line at 519-336-3445, Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 or the Family Counselling Centre distress line at 519-336-3000.